Russo Radiology, Connecticut
You Don't Need X-ray Vision to See That the Healthcare Industry's Need for Bandwidth Continues to Grow.
According to a recent study, radiology represents nearly 90 percent of the imaging volume in healthcare today – with levels growing faster than in any other specialty. That's just one reason why David Grandchamp and his IT team at Robert D. Russo, MD and Associates Radiology have been early adopters of cuttingedge information technology applications.
"As technology changes, so does the size of the data sets," explains Grandchamp, Director of IT at Russo Radiology. More advanced equipment is producing images in finer and finer slices – 64, 128, in some cases as many as 256 – and generating files that can exceed 500 MB. Due to the size of data files and the need to share them between Russo Radiology's nine locations, it's no wonder Grandchamp was on a quest for greater bandwidth.
"To handle those files, we need bigger processors to crunch the data and bigger pipes to move it across," says Grandchamp. Traditional T1 lines or bonded T1 lines delivered throughput of 1.5 or 3 MB per second, which left doctors waiting minutes for study results. For busy physicians, any delay meant lost revenue and compromised customer service.
"Our goal was to find a single vendor and a single source solution that could tie us together on a single network," says Grandchamp. "And speed is the name of the game."
Right where you need us.
Fibertech delivered a private fiber optic network with guaranteed speeds up to 1 GB per second – a combination of dark fiber capacity, Ethernet, and dedicated Internet access, all with direct fiber optic connections into each of Russo's locations.
Competitive pricing and aggressively laying down fiber in the area led Russo Radiology to choose Fibertech over a host of other alternative solutions. "Fibertech had a footprint everywhere we needed it," explains Grandchamp. "They brought the fiber in from the outside to the network closet – right to where it needed to be."
Now, doctors are more productive and get reports out sooner. The central patient management system resides on the fiber network and expedites workflow between the various Russo locations. Test studies are routed from the radiology equipment directly to the appropriate workstation. Within seconds, doctors can view an X-ray or mammogram, whether they are in Bridgeport, Stratford, or Westport.
Your future is calling.
Enabled by the robust fiber network, Grandchamp is looking at additional upgrades - including VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). VoIP would use the new bandwidth to connect every extension at every location via the fiber network, reducing outside phone lines, increasing productivity, and saving money.
"Now, we're very competitive with other radiology practices in this area, which positions us for the future growth of our IT applications, and even more importantly, our company," explains Grandchamp. "It allows us to provide a clear view of our future for our customers and physicians that you don't need X-ray vision to see."
"The hesitation is gone now. We can do more work with the same amount of equipment and personnel. Service has been good. Bandwidth is what was promised, and support has been very proactive."
David Grandchamp, Director of IT at Robert D. Russo, MD and Associates Radiology